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Bisphenol A alternatives are manufactured as potentially less harmful substitutes of bisphenol A (BPA) that offer similar functionality. These alternatives are already in the market, entering the environment and thus raising ecological concerns. However, it can be expected that levels of BPA alternatives will dominate in the future, they are limited information on their environmental safety. The EU PARC project highlights BPA alternatives as priority chemicals and consolidates information on BPA alternatives, with a focus on environmental relevance and on the identification of the research gaps. The review highlighted aspects and future perspectives. In brief, an extension of environmental monitoring is crucial, extending it to cover BPA alternatives to track their levels and facilitate the timely implementation of mitigation measures. The biological activity has been studied for BPA alternatives, but in a non-systematic way and prioritized a limited number of chemicals. For several BPA alternatives, the data has already provided substantial evidence regarding their potential harm to the environment. We stress the importance of conducting more comprehensive assessments that go beyond the traditional reproductive studies and focus on overlooked relevant endpoints. Future research should also consider mixture effects, realistic environmental concentrations, and the long-term consequences on biota and ecosystems.

The chemical burden on the environment and human population is increasing. Consequently, regulatory risk assessment must keep pace to manage, reduce, and prevent adverse impacts on human and environmental health associated with hazardous chemicals. Surveillance of chemicals of known, emerging, or potential future concern, entering the environment-food-human continuum is needed to document the reality of risks posed by chemicals on ecosystem and human health from a one health perspective, feed into early warning systems and support public policies for exposure mitigation provisions and safe and sustainable by design strategies. The use of less-conventional sampling strategies and integration of full-scan, high-resolution mass spectrometry and effect-directed analysis in environmental and human monitoring programmes have the potential to enhance the screening and identification of a wider range of chemicals of known, emerging or potential future concern. Here, we outline the key needs and recommendations identified within the European Partnership for Assessment of Risks from Chemicals (PARC) project for leveraging these innovative methodologies to support the development of next-generation chemical risk assessment.

Non-targeted and suspect screening analysis using liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) holds great promise to comprehensively characterize complex chemical mixtures. Data preprocessing is a crucial part of the process, however, some limitations are observed: (i) peak-picking and feature extraction might be incomplete, especially for low abundant compounds, and (ii) limited reproducibility has been observed between laboratories and software for detected features and their relative quantification. We first conducted a critical review of existing solutions that could improve the reproducibility of preprocessing for LC-HRMS. Solutions include providing repositories and reporting guidelines, open and modular processing workflows, public benchmark datasets, tools to optimize the data preprocessing and to filter out false positive detections. We then propose harmonized quality assurance/quality control guidelines that would allow to assess the sensitivity of feature detection, reproducibility, integration accuracy, precision, accuracy, and consistency of data preprocessing for human biomonitoring, food and environmental communities.

Micropollutants (MPs) represent an important environmental and health issue. Identifying their sources and then reducing their discharges is the strategy used in France to fight against water pollution. This is also the approach implemented in the Regard project (Reduction and management of micropollutants in the Bordeaux metropolis). The first phase of the project aimed to carry out a territorial, global and integrated diagnosis combining both chemical and biological analyses of the natural environment and the sewerage network from the discharge points (wastewater treatment plant, separate stormwater overflow, by-pass) to the emission sources (domestic, industrial, hospital and stormwater). In addition, a social characterization of the sources was carried out in order to understand the practices, products and uses at the origin of MP discharges and to identify decisive actions to reduce these discharges. The strengths of this diagnostic assessment are the complementary of various approaches (engineering and social sciences, chemical and biological analyses, wastewater and stormwater studies) and the large number of sampling sites. The second phase of the project was to ensure the implementation of reduction actions to test and evaluate their impacts from the environmental (effectiveness in reducing the quantity, diversity and effect of MPs), social (appropriation and satisfaction of solutions) and economic (to guide public action) points of view. The best results have been achieved with (i) the “water families challenge” action on the domestic source, (ii) mechanical rat control actions, defoaming of tennis courts and grassing of cemeteries for the community source, and (iii) the treatment action of separate stormwater in real conditions on a pilot scale. This feedback on what has been achieved to date should help communities interested to implement such an approach in order to avoid the same “mistakes” and, on the contrary, to directly implement actions that give, Les micropolluants (MP) représentent un enjeu environnemental et sanitaire important. Identifier leurs sources pour ensuite réduire leurs rejets est la stratégie privilégiée au niveau français pour lutter contre cette pollution. C’est aussi la démarche qui a été mise en œuvre dans le projet Regard (réduction et gestion des micropolluants sur la métropole bordelaise). La première phase du projet correspondait ainsi à la réalisation d’un diagnostic territorial, global et intégré couplant à la fois des analyses chimiques et biologiques du milieu naturel et du réseau d’assainissement depuis les points de rejets (station de traitement des eaux usées, exutoires pluviaux, by-pass) jusqu’aux sources d’émission (domestique, industrielle, hospitalière et pluviale). En complément, une caractérisation sociale des sources a été faite afin de comprendre les pratiques, les produits et les usages à l’origine des rejets de MP et d’identifier des leviers d’action pour réduire ces rejets. Les points forts de ce diagnostic sont la complémentarité des approches (sciences de l’ingénieur et sciences sociales, analyses chimiques et biologiques, étude des eaux usées et pluviales) et le nombre important de sites d’étude. La seconde phase du projet correspondait à la mise en œuvre d’actions de réduction pour les tester et les évaluer du point de vue environnemental (efficacité pour réduire la quantité, la diversité et l’effet des MP), social (appropriation et satisfaction vis-à-vis des solutions) et économique (aide à l’orientation de l’action publique). Les actions ayant eu les meilleurs résultats sont (i) l’action « Familles EAU Défi » sur la source domestique, (ii) les actions de dératisation mécanique, de démoussage des terrains de tennis et d’enherbement des cimetières pour la source collectivité et (iii) l’action de traitement des eaux pluviales strictes en conditions réelles à l’échelle d’un pilote. Le présent retour d’expérience sur ce qui a été fait doit aider les collectivités qui s

Many aquatic pollutants can be present at low concentrations, but their mixtures can still affect health or behavior of exposed organisms. In this study, toxicological and chemical analyses were combined for spatial contamination profiling using an innovative passive sampling approach. A novel Dynamic Passive Sampler (DPS) was employed as a mobile sampler from a ship cruising along 2130 km of the Danube river during the Joint Danube Survey 3 (JDS3). The sampling was performed in eight subsequent river stretches with two types of complementary passive samplers: silicone rubber sheets (SR) used for non-polar chemicals and SDB-RPS Empore™ disks (ED) for more hydrophilic compounds. Besides extensive chemical analyses, the bioactivity of samples was characterized by a battery of reporter gene bioassays. Cross-calibration of the employed passive samplers enabled robust estimation of water concentrations applicable for compounds with a wide range of physicochemical properties. DPS was suitable for sampling of water contaminants even at pg L−1 levels, with 209 of 267 analyzed compounds detected in the samples. Biological effects were detected in both ED and SR extracts across all river stretches by bioassays focused on xenobiotic metabolism mediated by the aryl hydrocarbon and pregnane X receptors, endocrine disruptive potential mediated by estrogen and androgen receptors and the oxidative stress response. The bioassay responses expressed as bioanalytical equivalent concentrations (BEQbio) were comparable with data obtained from large volume active sampling. The extracts of the ED samplers were more biologically active than extracts of SR samplers. Except of estrogenicity, where the analyzed chemicals explained on average 62% of the effects in ED samples, the detected chemicals explained <8% of BEQbio values. The study shows the utility of the combination of the innovative passive sampling approach with effect-based tools for efficient and fast moni

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Growing concern about the adverse environmental and human health effects of a wide range of micropollutants requires the development of novel tools and approaches to enable holistic monitoring of their occurrence, fate and effects in the aquatic environment. A European-wide demonstration program (EDP) for effect-based monitoring of micropollutants in surface waters was carried out within the Marie Curie Initial Training Network EDA-EMERGE. The main objectives of the EDP were to apply a simplified protocol for effect-directed analysis, to link biological effects to target compounds and to estimate their risk to aquatic biota. Onsite large volume solid phase extraction of 50 L of surface water was performed at 18 sampling sites in four European river basins. Extracts were subjected to effect-based analysis (toxicity to algae, fish embryo toxicity, neurotoxicity, (anti-)estrogenicity, (anti-)androgenicity, glucocorticoid activity and thyroid activity), to target analysis (151 organic micropollutants) and to nontarget screening. The most pronounced effects were estrogenicity, toxicity to algae and fish embryo toxicity. In most bioassays, major portions of the observed effects could not be explained by target compounds, especially in case of androgenicity, glucocorticoid activity and fish embryo toxicity. Estrone and nonylphenoxyacetic acid were identified as the strongest contributors to estrogenicity, while herbicides, with a minor contribution from other micropollutants, were linked to the observed toxicity to algae. Fipronil and nonylphenol were partially responsible for the fish embryo toxicity. Within the EDP, 21 target compounds were prioritized on the basis of their frequency and extent of exceedance of predicted no effect concentrations. The EDP priority list included 6 compounds, which are already addressed by European legislation, and 15 micropollutants that may be important for future monitoring of surface waters. The study presents a novel simplified protoco

Aquatic environments are often contaminated with complex mixtures of chemicals that may pose a risk to ecosystems and human health. This contamination cannot be addressed with target analysis alone but tools are required to reduce this complexity and identify those chemicals that might cause adverse effects. Effect-directed analysis (EDA) is designed to meet this challenge and faces increasing interest in water and sediment quality monitoring. Thus, the present paper summarizes current experience with the EDA approach and the tools required, and provides practical advice on their application. The paper highlights the need for proper problem formulation and gives general advice for study design. As the EDA approach is directed by toxicity, basic principles for the selection of bioassays are given as well as a comprehensive compilation of appropriate assays, including their strengths and weaknesses. A specific focus is given to strategies for sampling, extraction and bioassay dosing since they strongly impact prioritization of toxicants in EDA. Reduction of sample complexity mainly relies on fractionation procedures, which are discussed in this paper, including quality assurance and quality control. Automated combinations of fractionation, biotesting and chemical analysis using so-called hyphenated tools can enhance the throughput and might reduce the risk of artifacts in laboratory work. The key to determining the chemical structures causing effects is analytical toxicant identification. The latest approaches, tools, software and databases for target-, suspect and non-target screening as well as unknown identification are discussed together with analytical and toxicological confirmation approaches. A better understanding of optimal use and combination of EDA tools will help to design efficient and successful toxicant identification studies in the context of quality monitoring in multiply stressed environments.